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Writer-Producer
Writer-Producer
PROFILE
Mara Brock Akil
Guest
FROM Mara Brock Akil
The Business
The Akils on The TV Biz and ‘Sparkle’ Mara Brock Akil and Salim Akil don’t have a hybrid name like Brangelina but they are a Hollywood power couple. Mara’s created two hit shows starring African American characters-- ‘Girlfriends’ and its spin-off ‘The Game.’ Salim is a Producer-Director on ‘The Game’ and has directed ‘Jumping the Broom.’ Now they’ve worked on their first movie together, the remake of ‘Sparkle’ starring Jordin Sparks and Whitney Houston in her final film performance.
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Design and Architecture
Securing Public Spaces, Super Wealthy Asians Vehicles are increasingly being used as weapons, as seen in the London Bridge attack over the weekend and in New York’s Times Square last month. The Compton-based company Calpipe is designing security bollards to help make public spaces safer. And novelist Kevin Kwan satirizes the “crazy rich” Asian jet set and their luxurious tastes in his latest book, “Rich People Problems.”
Press Play with Madeleine Brand
Why is Trump so behind on filling staff jobs, establishing concrete policies? Yesterday Donald Trump signed a “decision memo” to revamp the air traffic control system. But there was little legislative detail in the plan. There’s not much to other splashy announcements from the White House, including tax cuts and the arms deal with Saudi Arabia. And hundreds of positions are unfilled in federal agencies.
Press Play with Madeleine Brand
Accusations of lying fly between James Comey and White House During his testimony Thursday, former FBI Director James Comey accused President Trump and other White House officials of lying when they said the FBI was in disarray and its staff had lost confidence in him. President Trump’s lawyer said Comey was wrong -- that the president never asked for his loyalty, and never asked him to back off the investigation into former NSA director Michael Flynn.
The Business
Industry insights and lessons learned from memorable guests We have interesting guests on The Business, and sometimes our conversations are too long to fit into one show. This week we give you stories that were too good to leave on the cutting room floor, including some sharp insights on making it in the industry from David Mandel, David Simon, Shawn Levy and Matt Reeves.